Skating Basics

Skating is the foundation of everything in hockey. A player who can skate well will look good at every other skill. A player who can’t skate will struggle regardless of stickhandling or shooting ability.

Key skills to develop

• Forward stride: full leg extension on each push, recover under the body, stay low
• Stopping: hockey stop (both sides), snowplow stop for beginners
• Crossovers: forward crossovers (both directions) for turning and acceleration
• Backward skating: C-cuts, backward crossovers
• Edge work: inside edges, outside edges, tight turns, transitions (forward to backward)

Off-ice training

• Balance board or wobble board — builds ankle stability and edge awareness
• Single-leg squats — mimics the skating stride
• Lateral bounds — explosive side-to-side movement